Loteria, Farmer’s Market, Los Angeles California

Tacos are something I really enjoy but don’t think of as being very versatile. I am a midwestern boy and tacos are filled with ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and salsa. I have started to revise my view on this through such chefs as Rick Bayless, and now I have one half of my LA hosts to thank for broadening my view of the ubiquitous taco. Stephanie and I went out shopping at the Farmer’s Market and in Beverly Hills while Ian and Aaron went to the studio to record some drums for a film score Aaron is working on. We strolled leisurely around the market taking in the sights and sounds of a truly great open-air public farmer’s market, the kind I wish we had in Dayton, and really enjoyed ourselves. There are shops covering a lot of geography and even more culinary ground, I was in heaven.

Stephanie informed me, “You have to eat at Loteria, they have the most amazing tacos!” To be honest I was not really in the mood for tacos given my perception but I was willing to give it a go. When a Guatemalan girl says, “Eat a taco here, they are great” you do as your told. And so we ordered. I ordered three different tacos, as I wanted a well-rounded view of this little taco stand. I got the chicken and chorizo (not surprisingly), the braised shredded beef, and on Steph’s suggestion, the potato and goat cheese. To drink I ordered horchata a Mexican rice drink, similar to a milk shake. The beef taco was about what I expected, tender and rich, with a fair amount of chipotle heat, the chicken taco was also braised and was aided in flavor by the addition of chorizo which was really tasty. I will say that I have eaten a lot of chorizo in my life and a lot on this trip and LA certainly has the finest chorizo I’ve ever had and some of the best Latin American food I’ve ever had outside of Latin America. Lastly, we come to the potato taco. I was hesitant about this and if Steph had not intervened in my order I never would have had this wonderful experience. The potatoes were cooked just to the point if being mash-able then they were dressed with fresh cilantro and lime. The whole thing was topped with a mild and salty goat’s cheese that added some much needed salt, fat, texture, and dimension to the taste of this little wonder. All of these tacos were wrapped up in housemade corn tortillas hot off the grill. I am in love with this taco stand. I demand a Dayton outpost of Loteria soon be opened adjacent to or in conjunction with Mexi-Hole!

Shopping, tacos, food porn at the Farmer’s Market, Ralph Lauren in Beverly Hills, all made this day great and it was certainly a high water mark for the whole trip! Ten out of ten!

In-and-Out Burger, Westwood, California

OK I’ll just get it out of the way now. In-and-Out burger is featured prominently in one of my favorite films, The Big Lebowski. So it was with great pleasure that I was able to scarf at this west coast fast food restaurant. I as a rule don’t eat fast food except for a kryptonite-like weakness for Taco Bell but for In-and-Out I made an exception. When in Rome.

Ian had been admitted to UCLA and said he was hungry for a cheeseburger. When your friend is in the hospital and they request a cheeseburger you comply. Stephanie and I returned to the cafeteria that served me an awful burrito only to find it closed so we ventured, with help from the GPS, to In-and-Out Burger in Westwood. Neither of us had ever been to this fast food restaurant so we were not familiar with the ordering etiquette or set up. There was a young man waiting on the street with an electronic clipboard and he was very eager to explain the menu. It is quite simple, one, two, or three burgers on a bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and “special sauce”, which is similar to Big Mac sauce. Fries, Coke products, and shakes round out the menu. He took our order effortlessly and sent us to the window to pay and collect our dinner.

I ordered the Three by Three. A triple burger with all the trimmings, For Ian we got the Double Double their famous double stacked cheeseburger, and Steph order the single as she is not a glutton and she is a girl. Fries and Cokes all around were also bought. After we smuggled the food back into the ER we started to chow down. This burger was mammoth and I was immediately pleased. Juicy, flavorful, greasy, and totally bad for you, it had all the makings of a great burger. When I say “bad for you” I mean the kind of thing where you are eating it and you know it is going to kill you, add inches to your waste line, and destroy your gastro-intestinal track but you eat it like a death row prisoner on suicide watch’s last meal because you are compelled to do so by some other worldly force sent by the cheeseburger Beelzebub. You know, that kind of thing. The fries were in my opinion sub par and the Coke was good in that I only drink like two Cokes a year. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal and it brightened Ian’s spirits so it was worth the adventure to get it. As Ian was being transferred to his room the nurse informed us that we had to put the fries into a bed pan if we wanted to take them with us. I could not resist taking a picture of French fries in a bedpan. I have the maturity of a ten-year-old boy. In-and-Out Burger is one of those things that can now be crossed off my list of places to eat at and given the havoc it brought to my stomach I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon. But the gastric distress I experienced was worth it in light of the tastiness of this fast food icon’s burger. Eight out of ten.

Lunch at UCLA Medical Center Cafeteria, Westwood, California

My little buddy Ian got very sick on our last full day of vacation, so much so that we had to take him to the emergency room. Not being one to waste an opportunity I thought we should all eat some lunch before the triage nurse sent us to an actual room so I traveled to the cafeteria.

I found a host of offerings in this posh setting (yes a hospital can be posh, note the valet parking picture!) For Ian and Stephanie I decided on grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit salad, which looked a lot better than my Pollo Loco burrito, and in hind site that is what I should have ordered. But a blog is a cruel mistress and I wanted to eat something interesting for you my devoted fans.

The burrito was dry, under seasoned, and over processed. It was a sizable burrito but all it did was make me miss Chipotle on Brown St. Pinto beans, guacamole, shredded chicken, guacamole, “salsa”, and rice were the ingredients in the meal. Of all the disappointing fillings the salsa was the worst. It was, to the best of my knowledge, pureed canned tomatoes. No seasoning, no peppers, no onion, NO FLAVOR! While the hospital was nice and I believe Ian is getting some great care the food there is abysmal. One out of ten.

Pink’s Hot Dogs, Hollywood, California

http://www.pinkshollywood.com/
Some people remember where they were the first time they saw their spouse or where they were when Kennedy was assassinated. For me I will always remember the day I ate at Pink’s Hot Dogs in Hollywood. I have to say that this is a true Mecca for the art of encased meats. I felt inadequate to the task, the meal was so built up in my head that I felt I might order incorrectly or not get the full wiener experience. I was wrong; this was without a doubt one of the greatest meals I have ever eaten in my life. I have dined at some really high-class places like Charlie Trotter’s and Spago but this was an experience I will not soon forget. For me Pink's is on par with all the fancy restaurants and celebrity chef nonsense that I buy into. When you’ve been serving hot dogs since 1939 you pick up a few tricks! The line down the street is a testament to the greatness of the food.

Upon arrival at Pink’s one is struck by the line, it is literally down the street, probably seventy-five people deep. The food was worth every minute of waiting! Although cranky, Ian could not squelch my enthusiasm. For a half an hour we stood in line and mauled over the sizable menu. Hot dogs in three different lengths, six, ten, and twelve, inches topped with a myriad of different toppings that included: pastrami, sauerkraut, mustard, jalapenos, cheese, chili, onions, peppers, and coleslaw. I felt as though I could really botch my order and ruin my Pink’s experience. After much indecision I settled on the following order:

One Pastrami Rueben Dog
One Chili/Cheese/Bacon Burrito Dog
One basket of Onion Rings
One Stretched Chili Dog with Onion (for Ian)
One Basket of Onion Rings (for Ian)
One Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda (for Ian)
One Orange Crush
Total Price-$23.28

When we sat down I was overcome with joy looking at the delights I was soon to ingest. I could barely contain myself while photographing the meal. I felt it necessary to call my brother Ben several times and let him know about the progress we were making in regards to the hot dogs, he was appreciative of course. I started with the more traditional Rueben dog. The pastrami was hot off the grill and a perfect match to the tartness of the kraut. The dogs at Pink’s are all beef kosher dogs so that have that characteristic snap and deep beef flavor of a great wiener. As you can see from the pictures I was very happy.

Then came a hot dog that I can only describe as life changing. Two all beef kosher dogs smothered in chili, wrapped in bacon, topped with cheese and onion and stuffed into twelve-inch flour tortilla and grilled. This my friends is the burrito dog. A behemoth by anyone’s standards and a belly buster after you’ve already devoured half a basket of onion rings and an entire Rueben dog. But I am a man of conviction and I went to work. I came to Hollywood for a reason and I intended to take this monster down. I had to formulate a game plan, this thing is huge, I mapped my course and I began. I dove in with a twinge of fear I don’t often encounter when dealing with sausages of any kind. As I ate I was more pleased with every bite. As the sense of fullness hit my brain I soldiered on. I fought the good fight; I beat Pink’s hot dogs! I ate the burrito dog and it was everything I could ever imagine. Fatty, rich, spicy, greasy, cheesy, and huge!
Today I went to Pink’s Hot Dogs in Hollywood California; I will never again be the same person! Eleven out of ten! As I reread this I tear up a little bit...

Cannellini Restaurant, Playa del Rey, California

Ian had an urge for Italian so we visited Cannellini. Cannellini is a traditional American-Northern-Italian restaurant not far from Aaron and Stephanie’s apartment in Playa del Rey. Traditional red sauce and mozzarella cheese abound in this Americanized version of Italian food. Upon surveying the menu I saw the usual offerings of lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccini alfredo, eggplant parmesan, and baked ziti. I ordered the veal marsala which came with a side of fettuccini alfredo and house salad. Ian and Stephanie ordered one of the evening’s specials, chicken tortellini in a tomato cream sauce tossed with fresh peas and mushrooms. Aaron ordered traditional lasagna.

The service here was not exactly top notch. The caprese salad Ian ordered never arrived and there was no mention of it by our server. The drinks were not refilled promptly, we had to ask for the bill three times and even after we finally received it we were then presented the dessert menu. This along with long a wait between salads and entrees resulted in our server only earning ten a percent tip, not something I am in the habit of doing.

The food was adequate as far as I am concerned. My dining companions seemed pleased with their meals and I am glad. My veal was under seasoned and over sauced. The key to good veal marsala is getting the veal crisp in the pan the removing it to deglaze with the marsala and make your sauce. I think that they simply left the veal in the pan as they made the pan gravy or even worse the sauce was made separately and added to the pan. Whatever the case the veal was soggy, over sauced, and under seasoned. One of the first things I try to teach students is the importance of salt and pepper. Not everything is supposed to taste like a pretzel but salt and pepper work to heighten all the other flavors of the dish. Without the proper amount of these often a dish will fall flat or simply have one note. The pasta served with my entrée was good but also under seasoned. The pasta was cooked to a beautiful al dente but the sauce lacked the proper amount of salt and pepper and that hint of nutmeg that makes alfredo well rounded. The real star here was the salad. The house salad was full of vegetables, garbanzo beans, and tender greens all tossed in a garlicky dressing reminiscent of Dominic’s and served with what Aaron dubbed the “salad doughnut.” This is essentially a deep fried roll basted in garlic butter. Amazing!

All in all we had a good time, we laughed we ate, we enjoyed each other’s company so the meal was not a complete disaster. Sometimes the meal becomes secondary to the experience as a whole. I enjoyed myself despite the food and service being a little lack-luster. Five and a half out of ten.

Traditional Guatemalan Breakfast, Aaron and Stephanie’s apartment, Playa del Rey California

Stephanie and Aaron have been our hosts all week and they have been great! Ian and I have been treated very well indeed and yesterday morning we were treated to a traditional Guatemalan breakfast courtesy of our hosts. I was not aware of what a traditional breakfast in Guatemala entailed but since Stephanie is from Guatemala she was only too happy to cook one and explain to us why they ate these things. We start with mashed black beans seasoned with aromatic onions, fried plantains, over easy eggs, fresh fruit, sour cream, plenty of Cholula hot sauce, and a homemade tomato and onion sauce to go over top of the eggs. Stephanie was very proud to tell us all about her culture and her heritage and the wonderful breakfast added a wonderful touch to our vacation. Ten out of Ten Steph and Aaron!

El Compadre, Hollywood California

After an exciting morning at Engelbert Humperdinck’s mansion in Bel Air my group of traveling companions and I were famished. As we made our way back to Playa del Rey we drove through Hollywood and we stopped for lunch at El Compadre, a reasonably priced Mexican restaurant.

Ian, Stephanie, and I grabbed a booth in the very dimly lit, windowless, dining room and began to scarf down our chips and salsa. The chips were thick and crisp and not too salty. The salsa was smooth and flavorful but I felt it could have used a little more heat. Our server came by and got our drink order and then didn’t return for a long time. When she finally did we were able to order our entrees. I ordered huevos con chorizo, Ian ordered something known as “El Grande”, and Stephanie ordered the beef tacos.

When our entrees arrived I was pleased with the look and smell but I was not served the warm corn tortillas I needed in order to eat my entrée. Ian seemed pleased with El Grande if not somewhat intimidiated and Steph enjoyed her tacos a lot. When my tortillas arrived I dug into my lunch. Smoky spicy chorizo paired with rich scrambled eggs on warm corn tortillas topped with the house-made salsa and a few drops of hot sauce and I was in heaven! I have an affinity for all things pork but especially chorizo. This version was long on spice, with just the right amount of heat, and it had a touch of clove and black pepper that made it really well balanced. Also this sausage wasn’t too greasy as some chorizo has a tendency to be (see Mexi-Hole.) Stephanie ate her tacos with a smile, and then we come to Ian. El Grande bested my friend. Just as I was defeated the day before by Fogo de Chao, this huge plate of Mexican food destroyed Ian. He enjoyed the taste but the sheer quantity of the food was too much.

The service here was pretty subpar. We waited for the drinks, we waited for the entrees, we waited for the check, and we waited for the credit card slip to sign. In short, we waited. The dining room was maybe a third full and we were there during a slow part of the day after the lunch rush if there was any. The service staff had no reason not to be on their game. I enjoyed my meal and I enjoyed watching Ian eat himself into pain. I am enjoying my vacation. Viva chorizo! Seven out of ten.

Churro Cart, Santa Monica California

Hey kids check it out huge churros on the Santa Monica pier! You gotta be careful that the seagulls don't snatch up your tasty snack. Churros are the perfect thing to keep you going when traffic and lame tourists get you down, plus they are a nice way to tide you over till you scarf down Pink's Hotdogs. Sugary, cinnamony, deliciousness!

Fogo de Chao, Beverly Hills

The Brazilian steakhouse concept is not one that is used very often in restaurants mainly because of the high cost of operating an establishment like this and the market to which you are appealing is a small niche of the whole restaurant going public. The concept is that you are given a coin one side is green for go and one side red for stop. Roaming carvers or gauchos (the Brazilian word for cowboys) walk around with fourteen different meats on spits and carve freshly roasted meat onto your plate. In addition to every type of meat imaginable they have a phenomenal salad bar.

Ian, Stephanie, Aaron, and I went to Fogo de Chao yesterday for lunch. Let me say that this was a hell of a meal to eat in the middle of the day, so much so that it essentially rendered us useless for the remainder of the afternoon and well into the evening. First I was in awe of the Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches we passed to get to our Hollywood lunch spot. Next I was struck by the fantastically appointed dining room. Deep rich wood tones, Frank Lloyd Wright style glass, and lush carpet abounds. Our server, who was excellent, suggested that we start with the salad bar then move onto the main event. Salad bar offerings include marinated olives, asparagus, artichokes, and mushrooms, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella, salad greens, antipasto items such as Prosciutto, salami, Manchego cheese, and several balsamic vinegars and olive oils to choose from. To be honest I could have made a whole meal out of this wonderful spread, I would have been happy and probably would have eaten too much of this as well. But then came the meat…

Fourteen different meats are walked around the dining room by the gauchos for your carnivorous pleasure. Here is a short list of offerings I remember: Linguica sausage, ancho rubbed ribeye, pork ribs, beef ribs, leg of lamb, lamb chops, bacon wrapped filet mignon, bacon wrapped chicken thighs, garlic flavored sirloin, and bottom sirloin. The sheer amount of meat that was continually heaped on my plate regardless of my coin facing red side up was ridiculous. The true standouts here were all the pork items especially the Linguica sausage. Also the ancho rubbed ribeye was really excellent, smoky and spicy but rich and full of fatty ribeye flavor. I would like to say that I conquered Fogo de Chao, that I fought the good fight, but I have to say this restaurant defeated me. I ate and ate and I wanted so badly to eat all fourteen meats but I am afraid that I simply couldn’t do it. The meat bested me, there was too much for me to experience all of it.

The service here was really attentive and warm. Our waiter had a sense of humor without being too familiar. He tended to our every need with out being too pushy or hovering around our table. I think it also helped that the gauchos were there about every five minutes to carve so that if our server was not around they were able to get a clean plate or pick up a dropped fork. This was a very decadent meal, especially for lunch. I can’t see eating at a place like this more than a few times a year. I had a really great time with my dining companions and the meat was delicious! Nine out of ten (mainly because I ate so much I was sick until the next morning!)

Café Orleans, Disneyland, Anaheim California

When in Disneyland it is hard to find food that is not out of a cart, or in hotdog form, not that I am apposed to either of these. When we went searching for dinner we found Café Orleans in the New Orleans Square section of the park. Our group of five had to wait about ten minutes for a table at which point we were squeezed into a table right next to the front door that was a little uncomfortable. The fare here is supposed to be authentic Cajun and Creole but I found it to fall a little flat. The hallmark of Cajun food is bold, spicy flavors that have deep and rich flavor. I ordered garlic frites with remoulade as an appetizer and a chicken gumbo crepe for my entrée.

The fries were actually very good and between the five of us at the table we managed to eat all of these. Fried golden brown and seasoned with Parmesan and garlic these fries really well done. They were served with a spiced remoulade sauce that took them over the edge.

The entrees were where the restaurant failed. The depth of flavor was simply not there on my selection. Chicken, Tasso ham, and andouille sausage were generous in the dish but not necessarily good. The chicken was over cooked, the Tasso was flat and the andouille seemed over processed. The whole thing was topped with an uninspired “gumbo sauce” that was closer to gravy than anything Cajun I’ve ever had. My dining companions had the other crepe offering which was a seafood crepe. This was filled with generic white fish, again overcooked, and no other seafood at all. Perhaps it should have been called fish crepe. This was topped with a Mornay sauce that I think was probably from a packet or a tin. Ian ordered the Mardi Gras chicken sandwich and it was met with mixed reviews and I would say the high point for this sandwich was the cornichons pickles it was served with.

Service here was all right but nothing to write home about. The whole staff seemed worn down by the fact that they served the thousands and thousands of visitors that Disneyland greets everyday. I suppose that I should have stuck to the hotdog cart, maybe the mouse would have fed me a better dinner. Four out of ten.

Havana Mania, Redondo Beach California

Cuban food is not something that one comes across in Dayton very often and when you do it is not often very good. One of the reasons I love to travel I that nine times out of ten they know a little bit more about food elsewhere and I get a chance to experience some nice cuisine. Enter Havana Mania in Redondo Beach.

On our way to Disneyland, day one of the great Los Angeles trip, Ian and I were accompanied by Aaron and Stephanie (Ian’s brother and sister-in-law) and Doug (a close friend of Aaron and Steph) to this little neighborhood Cuban restaurant for lunch. Stephanie who is Guatemalan ordered an appetizer for the table in Spanish an to be honest I had no idea what she ordered but was pleasantly surprised when pan-fried smashed plantains and traditional Cuban style black beans arrived. These little fritters were served with a creamy garlic sauce that was out of this world good. They were fried till just crispy and the plantains themselves had a hint of sweetness to them that made them irresistible. The black beans were a nice compliment to the plantains, rich and with a full depth of flavor that stood up to the creamy garlicky sauce.

When our entrees arrived I was treated to a huge Cuban pork sandwich. Slow roasted pork, ham, tart yellow mustard, sweet and sour dill pickles, and creamy Swiss cheese all packed into an eight-inch hunk of French bread and grilled panini-style to great effect. This was for sure the best Cuban I’ve ever had. This sandwich is about balance. The richness of the pork to the saltiness of the ham, the vinegary crunch of the pickles to the fatty richness of the pork, the tartness of the mustard to the creaminess of the cheese, all these things must be in harmony in order for a sandwich like this to work. When all these elements come together a Cuban sandwich can stand up to the best sandwich on the world…that’s right…the Rueben! This sandwich was just perfect. I wish Dayton had a Cuban restaurant that was as laid back as this and had such great food. The closest thing that we have is El Meson but I would say that they are a little too formal to enjoy things on this level. Sandwiches in my humble opinion are high art when done well and Havana Mania makes the Mona Lisa of Cuban sandwiches. Ten out of ten!

That mouse can make some coffee!

I visited Disneyland for the first time yesterday and I have to say that Mickey can brew a mean cup of java! Sure it cost three dollars but it was the best thing to take on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and if you keep your receipt that mouse will fill your cup all day long. Viva caffeine!

Airport Sushi in Atlanta? One Flew South!

Let’s face it airport food courts are not exactly the place to find haute cuisine. A meal at an airport usually involves a fruit cup with under-ripe cantaloupe, a soft pretzel with fluorescent orange cheese sauce, and a six-dollar bottle of water. On our way to Los Angeles Ian and I happened upon an Asian-American bistro called One Flew South in the Atlanta airport.

The first departure (pun intended) from your traditional airport food was an actual dining room with a hostess and servers. Not the usual carry your food on a tray and bus your own table type setup. Next surprisingly was our server, Sopee. She was pleasant, knowledgeable, and efficient. The menu, which I have included here, is very well put together and was a nice break in an otherwise long and bizarre travel situation. http://www.oneflewsouthatl.com/foodanddrink.html

So we ordered the braised pork belly sandwich and the Kobe beef burger. Kobe beef in an airport! The pork sandwich was excellent! Pork belly braised slowly in rice wine and seasoned with Asian spices was succulent, rich, and juicy. The pork was heaped on toasted foccacia bread and topped with in-house pickled jalapenos, and fresh avocado. The sandwich was served with a rich dark mole and an asparagus cheese sauce for dipping as well as a portion of Napa cabbage slaw. The two sauces were out of this world. I am a sucker for a good mole and this was it. Deep chocolate flavor, bitter, sweet, and then just enough spice at the end. I have never considered mole a sauce to use for a sandwich. Mole is something that usually is used as a means of braising tougher cuts of meat like pork shoulder or chicken thighs. It was used here masterfully. Ian ordered the Kobe beef burger, which has sautéed shiitake mushrooms and creamy goat cheese on it. The burger was cooked to a beautiful medium and accompanied by a heap of five-spice seasoned fries. Ian loved the burger and wolfed it down. He turned his nose up at the fries claiming, “a bad experience with seasoned fries in the past” so I was only too willing to help him out.

This meal was an oasis, everything from the service, to the gorgeous dining room, to the wonderful food was a complete surprise and not at all what you would expect from a food court. Well done One Flew South, ten out of ten!

Corndogs on the left coast!

Ian (my bf) and I are on vacation in LA! Look forward to many posts this week as we will be eating ourselves sick daily. Here is the first of many...THE SINGLE GREATEST CORNDOG I'VE EVER HAD (and I've had a lot!) from Disneyland, yes Stacie it cost $6 and it was worth every cent!